[simondfletcher]

My experience of StackOverflow users is that they are generally polite and very helpful although I've noticed a trend over recent month towards less tolerance towards people asking questions who obviously haven't even done a basic Google search first. I think StackOverflow users see it as a place to get answers to questions that aren't answered anywhere else on the internet rather than as a way of getting someone to do a Google search on your behalf. Not that I'm suggesting that this is your situation.

If you're looking for an alternative to StackOverflow where the quality of content and discourse is high then Forrst (www.forrst.com) is a great place. It's an invitation only community of web designers and developers which is in part, I think, what keeps the place friendly and helpful.